Letter-opener.



No. 734,590. PATENTED JULY 28, 1903. I. MINNIGH.

LETTER OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 2. 1902.

NO MODEL.

WITNESSES} [/VVENYOR material.

UNITED STATES.

' Patented .nn es, 190s.

INA MINNIOH, OF SUGARLOAF, PENNSYLVANIA.

LETTER -QPEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 734,590, dated July 28, 1903.

Application filed December 2, 1902. Serial No. 133,619. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, INA MINNICH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sugarloaf, in the county of Luzerne, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Openers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to letter-openers; and it has for its object to provide a novel form of opener which will be simple and cheap of manufacture and which may be easily and efficiently operated, a furtherobject of the invention being to provide an opener which may be reduced in size by telescoping, so that it will occupy a minimum of space when not in use and may be conveniently carried about the person.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar partsin both views, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the opener in its distended form. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the handle of the opener and showing in elevation the hook tele scoped thereinto.

Referring now to the drawings, the present opener comprises a hollow or tubular handle portion 5, which is closed at one end and upon the opposite end of which is engaged a cap 6,

having a central angular opening 7 therein,

and extending longitudinally of the handle from the cap is a bayonet-slot 8. Passed through the angular opening of the cap is the vcylindrically-shaped or round stem 9 of a hook- 10, the bill of which is finely pointed and the inner sides of the bill and bight of which are,

drawn to a sharp-cutting edge 11, so that the tip of the hook may be forced through the material of the envelop when required, after which the hook may be operated to cut the Within the handle is a helical spring 12, attached at one end to the inner end of the stem of the hook and attached at its opposite end to the handle, and which helical springholds the stem, with the hook, normally and yieldably projected through the opening of the cap of the handle and in position for operation. Attached to the stem of the hook is a finger-piece 13, which projects outwardly through the bayonet-slot 8 and has a knob at its outer end, and by pressing this knob the finger-piece may be moved longitudinally of the bayou et-slot to draw the hook through the angular opening and into the handle, the tension of the helical spring being such as to move the finger-piece 1ater- 1. A letter-opener comprising a tubular I handle, a hook slidably mounted for movement into and out of,the handle, means for holding the hook yieldably projected from the handle, and means for locking therhook within the handle.

2. A letteropener comprising a tubular handle having a bayonet-slot in one side thereof, a hook having a stem slidably mounted in the handle for movement of the hook to lie within the handle or exteriorly thereof, a finger-piece passed through the bayonet-slot and attached to the stem of the hook, and a heliv cal spring within the handle attached to the handle and stem and adapted to hold the stem with the hook yieldably projected or with the finger-piece against the notched side of the bayonet-slot when the hook is within the handle.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. INA MINNICH.

.Witnesses:

HATTIE EJFOGLE, EMMA L. DREW. 

